RC Outfitters — Attraction in Peoria

We've lived in Peoria for 17+ years. Have always seen Running Central from afar, as a great customer-service venue but likely something beyond our price range with shoes that-I-thought-were-going-be-MSRP+. Couldn't be further from the truth.

I have known Adam a little thru the business community and always appreciated his forward-thinking, local-business-is-best approach. The man has an excellent business mind, employs well-trained, friendly people and really wants to help, no matter your budget. Case in point, we asked for the most expensive shoes first, but seeing our 5 children and listening to us (worried initially about shoes being too expensive), we were shown high-quality, sale merchandise (shoes) first, almost to the detriment of a new pair. In fact, they were upset they couldn't get us into a sale pair. In the end, I paid extra for a new pair.

Now, for the experience, it was hands-on and totally no pressure, at all. A friendly, team-selling environment that would have not given us the stink eye had we walked out. They truly wanted our best and wanted us to be fitted well first and then happy second, which is important.

The crux of the situation is this. Yes, you pay $60-75 for near-orthotic insoles (we supinate/underpronate; walk on the outsides of our feet), but you pay at or below what you'd pay for Hoka, On, New Balance, Brooks, et al. anywhere else. For me, getting the right shoe, fit and comfort is totally worth it! One could argue it could be 10-15 more bc they are on Water street, etc., but with a local business, I am totally on board with a 10-15 percent mark-up over a 'box store. In this case, though, that is vacuumed up with a whole heap of breathtaking customer service.

The whole experience has made my son want to work there next Summer.

Great job, Adam, John, Andrew &...

Wow ! What can I say ! my daughter first told me of this store after my car accident 4 yrs ago . I was recovering from a totally crushed heel and broken ankle with a plate and 13 screws . I have always been a very active treadmill walker . So my first experience here was 4 yrs ago and all I can say is it was amazing ! The young man then fit me with Hoka and insoles , perfect ! I relize shoes are basicly designed to last a yr or so for the comfort level , but i wore them 4 yrs on my treadmill ! They are still good but now rotated to yard work . They reason I shared that was because yes they are a investment but when you need stability and have flat feet , you don’t look at the $$. So having shared that was to say that was enough for me to go back and reinvest , hoping to find the same shoe . I went in and a wonderful young man Branden was the first face I saw . I can only say he is amazing ! He went way beyond helping me ! And all I can say is he knows his job and is so very good at helping you find the perfect shoe and perfect fit ! He even directed me to another brand of insole , it’s like no words for comfort ! I bought extra and put them in the shoes I was wearing , made them like my feet were wrapped in comfy slippers ! Seriously when you have flat feet as a injury and need the ankle support this is the place to go and he’s the guy that will hook you up ! I’m going back asap ! I live a hr away but sooo worth it all the way around , great store , great inventory and I didn’t even make it over to the clothing ! Support local business ! Thank you Branden ! You are still...

I’ve always known that Running Central Outfitters was awesome but apparently I didn’t know just how awesome they were til recently. Not only did they donated a gift certificate to our auction, they donated a pair of shoes to my husband, Derek, who suffered a massive stroke in Dec 2022.

We were finally able to go there last week to get fitted for the new shoes. We had 3 staff members helping us (one of which was Adam the owner) making sure everything was done correctly since Derek has an AFO (ankle foot orthotic aka brace). They were also able to accommodate 2 different shoe sizes because of the AFO. So he has a size 14 on the right and size 12.5 on the left. They have elastic laces available which we didn’t need since we already had some at home.

Adam had a great conversation w Derek, who was able to talk in full short sentences and stunned me w that. I told them we were on a time crunch since Derek had an appt w his neuro-vision optometrist and we only had 30 min to shop. We were done in under 30 min!

When my aunt initially talked to Adam about donating to the auction back in March, they weren’t sure how well Derek would be walking - Adam said to park right in front of the door, there’s a lift if he can’t do the stairs, and if he he didn’t feel well enough to come in - park around the back and the staff would come out to the car and fit him.

We left there so impressed and happy with our experience. I can’t recommend them enough for people w disabilities who need specific help finding...